Convertible hopper and flat bed body



Oct. 23, 1956 Filed Jan. 20, 1954 mil P. G. KASTER CONVERTIBLE HOPPER AND FLAT BED BODY 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 MENTOR PAUL C..KAsTER,

mnusv 1956 P. G. KASTER 2,768,021

CONVERTIBLE HOPPER AND FLAT BED BODY Filed Jan. 20, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JBY mum Oct. 23, 1956 P. G. KASTER CONVERTIBLE HOPPER AND FLAT BED BODY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 20, 1954 A III. JI II/I I1[-v ENTOR PAUL G.I As1-ER :BVM

moans? 2,768,021 CONVERTIBLE HOPPER AND FLAT BED BODY Paul G. Kaster, Fairland, Ind. Application January 20, 1954, Serial No. 405,136

4 Claims. (Cl. 296-10) This invention relates to a body such as would be used on farms and the like or in general hauling on a chassis. The invention involves a bed which may be utilized in one of two forms, namely in a hopper form whereby loose grain or the like may be hauled, the ends of the body sloping toward a middle section under which there is an inclined chute or gutter leading to one side of the body for discharge of the grain when it is to be unloaded, and second, the members of the hopper may be so rearranged quite readily as to give a flat bed effect on which bed there may be hauled articles such as baled hay or straw. One of the primary objects of the invention in addition to the above named features resides in the fact that the bed may be made out of a minimum number of parts, and yet be extremely rigid and strong. Weight is also reduced to a minimum consistent with strength and capacity of the body. .These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the following description which is made in reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side'elevation of the body when shifted to the fiat bed condition;

Fig. 3 is a view in front "end elevation and partial section of the section in the hopper condition;

Fig. 4 is a view in inside elevation of a side of the body forming the hopper; 1

Fig. 5 is a View in top plan of the bed in the hopper position conformable to'the condition shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail in vertical elevation on an enlarged scale in the vertical section on the line 6p6 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail in vertical elevation on the line 77 illustrating hopper end hinge structure;

Fig. 8 is aview in top plan of thebody in theflat bed condition; a

Fig. 9 is a detail in vertical section on an enlarged scale on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a detail on an enlarged scale in vertical section on the line 1010 in Fig. 1.

The body has a foundation frame consisting essentially of a rectangular channel frame generally designated by the numeral 15. This frame has end bars 16 and 17 inter-connecting the side rails 18 and 19. The side rail 18 which would be the right hand rail in the present showing has a center rectangular drop made up of individual members preferably welded one to the other, this drop consisting of the vertical post 20, the under horizontal rail 21, and the vertical post 22. The center drop composed of these members 2022 is reinforced bymeans of the truss rods 23 and 24. These rods extend under the member 21 and are brought up to the rail 19 on either side of the posts 20 and 22. The other rail 19 has a similar drop, but of much less height, the under most portion of the drop being shown by the rail 25 in Fig. 3.

An inclined chute 26 is positioned transversely of the rails 18 and 19 to fit through the drop in the frame so nited States Patent 0 2,768,021 Patented Oct. 23, 1956 that the chute 26 will slope downwardly from over the rail 19 to below the rail 18. This chute 26 in the present form is shown to be rectangular in cross section, and open from the upper side. It is secured to the rails by being attached to cross members 27 and 28, Fig. 6, these members 27 and 28 in turn being welded to the side rails 18 and 19.

Front and rear rectangular metal plates 29 and 30 are formed to rest over the rails 18 and 19 to come into substantial abutment with the cross members 27 and 28. These members 29 and 30 each have an angle iron 31 and 32 respectively welded to their ends adjacent to the members 27 and 28, and these angle irons rest on arcuate members 33 and 34 which are fixed to the upper sides of the rails 18 and 19, Fig. 6. These members 33 and 34 curve from an upper line 35 downwardly toward the lower sides of the members 27 and 28 to bear directly on the members 18 and 19 so that when the plates 29 and 30 may be lifted and lowered, the tendency is that these members 29 and 30 will always have their opposing edges in close proximity to the members 27 and 28. Preferably upper limits of swinging of the members 29 and 30 are provided in the nature of stops 36 placed across the arcuate members 35 and 34.

These plates when used for the hopper bed condition, are held in inclined positions relative to the side rails 18 and 19 by braces 37, one coming down from the plates for each rail 18 and 19, both at the front and rear ends of those rails.

As indicated particularly in Fig. 3, these plates 29 and 30 are preferably reinforced by cross members 38, herein shown as angle irons. The upper ends of the braces 37 are each individually hinged to one of these cross members 38. The lower ends of the members 37 are bifurcated to straddle by their lower ends the respective rail end portions 18 and 19. These lower ends of the members 37 may be secured in position by means of bolts 39 extending through the side rails 18 and 19.

Side walls 40 and 41 are provided to be in the general form as indicated in Fig. 4, this view showing the inside of the side wall 41. Each of these wall members 40 and 41 is provided with an angle bar 42 along one upwardlybolt 46 extends downwardly through the angle iron,"

through the plate 30, and through a bar 47 welded to a vertically disposed bar 48 which extends upwardly and is in turn welded to the under side of the plate 30 at its outer edge so that the side wall 40 extends downwardly along the plate 30 along this bar 43 as a means of support against lateral travel. A plurality of bolts 46 are employed as indicated in Fig. 3. Preferably a tie rod interconnects side walls 40 and 41 over each of the plates 29 and 30 near the upper end portion of the side walls, these rods being designated by the numerals 5t and 51. These tie rods 50 and 51 are secured by nuts 52a on their outer ends so that the tie rods may be quickly removed when desired.

On the right hand side of the body of this form, the side wall 40 is provided with a pair of guides 52 and 53 along which a door 54 is slidingly guided in a vertical direction so that the door 54 may drop preferably of its own weight to close off the outer right hand end of the chute 26. That is, the door 54 is free to be raised between the guides 52 and 53 by any suitable means such as by a lever 55, so that the door 54 may be shifted clear of the opening at the end of the chute 26 under the side wall 40. The side wall 40 is cut straight across along its lower edge between the diagonal edges 43 and 45, as indicated by the line 56 in Fig. 4.

- The bed so far described is in the hopper p'osit'ion or condition as'illustrated in Figs. 1, 3,'and 5, and is shown as being mounted between bolsters 57 and 58 on a chassis generally designated by the numeral 59.

The body is quickly converted to a fiat bed condition as illustrated in Fig. 8, by taking out the bolts 39, and allowing the braces 3'7 to slide forwardly and rearwardly respectively along the rails IS and 19,'after the sides 40 and 41 have been removed. The plates 29 and 36 are allowed to drop down on to the rails 18 and '19 into a substantially common horizontal plane. The plates 29 and 36 are spaced apart the distance substantially equal to the width of the chute 26, an'd'in Order to continue the bed floor between the plates 29' and 30 when they'are horizontally disposed, an'additional plate 60 is provided to fit between the opposing edges 61' and. 62' of the plates 29 and 30 and rest over the top faces of the transverse members 27 and 28. The angle bars 31 and 32fare so dimensioned as to present theedges of the plates 29'and 30 to be above the top faces of those members 27 and 28 the vertical thickness of the plates so that the plate 60 will then afford a continuous smooth floor between those two plates. The cross, reinforcing members 38 are so proportioned in vertical height that there will be space between them and the rails for the braces 37 to extend therealong as above indicated. That is, the braces 37 will then lie between two adjacent cross members 38. See Fig. 8.

On each of the under sides of the plates '29 and 30, herein shown as across the under sides of the members 38, there are provided longitudinally disposed rails 65 and 66 which will drop down between the rails 18 and 19 and substantially bear there against so as to prevent lateral travel of the plates 29 and 30 in respect to those rails.

Therefore while I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to the precise form as thus shown, beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A bed convertible from a flat bed to a hopper comprising a fixed, relatively horizontally disposed foundation frame; a pair of floor members carried by said frame, each rockably supported at adjacent ends by said frame ata central zone thereof, and extending therefrom to outer ends, whereby said outer ends of the members may be raised and lowered, said members forming a fiat floor when lowered and resting on said frame, and oppositely,

upwardly inclined floor portions of a hopper when raised; and a pair of side walls co-extensive with said fioor members when raised, the lower edges of said walls being inclined upwardly from central portions thereof following slopes of said floor members when raised; and means detachably interengaging said wall lower edges with outer side edges of said floor members.

2. The structure of claim. liin which said side walls are supported by said raised. floonmembers, and support means between outer portions of said members and said frame.

3. The structure ofclaim 1 in which the rockable supporting of the floor member ends at said central zone comprises a cross member fixed to said frame and against which said floor member adjacent ends abut, a concave bearing member extending from said cross member under each of said adjacent ends, and a foot in each instance extending from said floor member and riding on said concave member.

4. A combination hopper and flat bed comprising, a generally rectangular foundation frame having side rails; a pair of spaced apart bars extending transversely across said frame and fixed to said rails intermediate their ends; an open top chute carried by said'frame between and below said bars; a rectangular floor plate having one end abutting one of said bars from the side thereof removed from said chute and extending therefrom over said frame; a second rectangular floor plate having one end abutting the other of said bars from its side removed from said chute, and extending therefrom'over said frame; said two plates resting on said frame in one common plane forming a flat bed, with said chute between the two plates; means along said bar sides 'rockably retaining said plates in respective abutment against the associated bar; said plates being rockable into positions inclined oppositely one from the other, inclined upwardly from said retaining means into hopper floor position; a side member extending across said chute and along respective sides of said inclined floor plates; and means detachably interengaging said floor plateswith said side members retaining the floor plates in said hopper floor position; said first named means in each instance comprising an arcuate member carried by said frame along said bar sides and sloping from the frame upwardly and away from the bar sides, and a leg downturned from each of said plate ends resting by a lower edge on said arcuate member, said leg lower edge traveling around and upwardly on the arcuate member as said plates are rocked into said inclined positions.

Foster Apr. 17, 1883 Lockenvitz Mar. 7, 1950 

